VIENTIANE – PM emphasises rule-based world order at int’l conference

Upholding and strengthening existing international rules is the best way to overcome today’s challenges, while seeking a new world order can be an option in addressing emerging issues, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith told an international conference in Japan on Friday.

The conference on the future of Asia, with the theme ”Seeking a new global order – overcoming the chaos”, took place at a time when the global order is being threatened and undermined. The world is beset by uncertainties, including the US-China trade war, and the rise of protectionism.

Mr Thongloun said the world was confronting complications, chaos and conflicts at varying levels.

Among the many issues are the policies put forward by countries that have a major role in both setting the rules and also leading their implementation. These countries are now in conflict and their disputes show no sign of easing anytime soon.

“These conditions have created anxiety and concern among the international community,” he told political, economic and academic leaders from the Asia-Pacific region who were attending the conference.

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Questions have been raised as to whether the current situation may lead to the end of the current global order. Some people are pondering the need for a new mechanism to address the complexities of the world today, Mr Thongloun added.

“I think that we can be open to various formats of a new world order and we do not need to limit ourselves,” the Lao prime minister said.
“But the best way forward is to maintain and enhance the existing rules, which we have developed and agreed upon together, so we should try to carry them forward completely and entirely.”

“Certainly, the implementation process will evolve and require adjustments and improvements along the way. It should not be that we abandon our existing fundamental principles only then to try to create a new world order, because the time lapse would only open up possibilities for more chaos,” he added.

Complexities, chaos and conflicts have emerged as a result of the violations of principles and failure to adhere to the rules of the existing world order.
Mr Thongloun said acts of aggression and invasions continue to occur and protectionist sentiment has re-emerged, which contradicts the prevailing trend of cooperation.

 

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“All of these negative actions violate the rules of relations between states as stipulated in the United Nations Charter and other core principles defined under the new world order, which our global community of nations subscribed to,” he added.

“If all of us and all our countries thoroughly reflect on and strictly abide by the existing rules of the world order, there would be no chaos, or even if there were, it could be addressed appropriately.”

If one seeks to resolve issues through peaceful means, this can be achieved through dialogue, negotiations and compromise, but if one chooses to respond to issues through the use of force, coercion, sanctions and isolation, conflicts and disputes will escalate, inevitably leading to violent confrontation and in some cases tragedy, Mr Thongloun said.

“So, in seeking a new world order to address or overcome the disorder that we now face, we need to carefully review the rules that we already have in place and ensure the effective and decisive implementation of those rules.”

Any new world order must be based on the principle of “addressing the root causes of the problem on the basis of democracy, equality and mutual respect, taking into account the common interests of peace, stability and overall development for humankind”.

Many countries in Asia – an important driver of global economic growth – have been the initiators of new cooperation mechanisms, creating economic blocs to support integration processes, promoting the free flow of investment, trade, and tourism, and working to narrow development gaps.
Some of these new mechanisms also act as platforms for constructive discussions that seek to resolve various issues.

 

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Many of these initiatives and cooperation mechanisms have become important factors in the process of building a new world order, including mechanisms such as China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Japan’s Partnership for Quality Infrastructure Initiative, and the Asean Community building process based on the three pillars of political, economic and socio-cultural cooperation, which promotes open cooperation with external partners and the rest of the international community.

“A new order would be one that every country agrees with and supports without hesitation or suspicion,” Mr Thongloun said.

“In this way, we will be able to overcome complex situations, and together deal with the challenges that confront us in a constructive manner.”

By Times Reporters

(Latest Update June 3, 2019)

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